D-Gs to determine how to finalize Ethiopian aliyah
A delegation of directors-general of government ministries will embark on a mission to Ethiopia in July and afterward suggest to the cabinet a plan intended to end the aliyah from Ethiopia. According to a letter written by director-generals of the Jewish Agency and the Aliyah and Integration Ministry, obtained by The Jerusalem Post,a “professional delegation of government ministries to Ethiopia,” will take place for four days beginning July 2. “The Ministry and the Jewish Agency are working in Ethiopia to immigrate 3,000 eligible olim [immigrants to Israel] who were approved by the Interior Ministry, as part of Government Resolution No. 713,” the letter stated, of the decision made by a [former prime minister] Naftali Bennett-led government in 2021.
The delegation will be led by Aliyah and Integration Ministry
Director-General Avichai Kahana and Jewish Agency Director-General Amira Aharonowitz and there will be representation from almost all of the government ministries.
The letter said that “the implementation of the government’s decision and the immigration process is very complex and is managed in Ethiopia by the Jewish Agency together with many partners in the various government ministries.”
“We are turning to you, as key partners in the implementation of the government’s decision, to personally join or to send a senior representative on your behalf, to participate in this professional delegation, led by the Aliyah and Absorption Ministry and the Jewish Agency,” the letter read. It explained that the goal of this delegation is to “strengthen the partnership and the professional relationships,” regarding issues of immigration, specifically from Ethiopia.
According to the letter, the delegation will meet with those waiting and the food program [of the Jewish community].” In addition, the directors-general of the ministries “will participate in a tour of Jewish historical sites, Jewish cemeteries and visit an exhibit of the emigration route of Ethiopian Jews on their journey to Israel via Sudan,” as well as a visit to the office of the Jewish Agency and a meeting with the Israeli ambassador to Ethiopia.
The expedition is expected to leave on July 2, 2023, and will last for four days. Each ministry will fund the flight to Ethiopia and the hotel, while the Jewish Agency will cover the rest of the costs of the tour, as well as the flight back to Israel, with Ethiopian olim.
The number of approved olim remaining in Ethiopia is 800, according to Shay Felber, director of the Aliyah and Absorption Unit and deputy director-general, who spoke at the Aliyah, Integration and Diaspora Knesset Committee three weeks ago.
It is important to note that most of the olim from Ethiopia in recent years aren’t considered as Jews according to Jewish Law and could not be eligible for aliyah according to Israel’s Law of Return. The vast majority of the olim are family members of Israeli citizens who are given Israeli citizenship as a humanitarian effort. Those who support the community in Gondar and in Addis Ababa claim that those who aren’t eligible for aliyah are descendants of Jews whose ancestors were forced to convert to Christianity and therefore should be allowed to make aliyah.
After returning to Israel, the directors-general of the ministries, together with the Jewish Agency, are expected to discuss the situation in Ethiopia, in order to find practical solutions. Sources in the government told the Post, that the government could decide to totally end the aliyah from Ethiopia. Potential scenarios include an effort to bring all the close to 5,000 people waiting in the camps for aliyah and not allow any other family members to arrive – yet, there are other suggestions being examined.